Post by pumaconcolorcoryi on Apr 28, 2007 7:50:10 GMT -5
It's unfair that these other universities had a head start on building their research programs and can now justify a 30 to 40 percent tuition increase.
The state university originally awarded to Miami wound up in Tampa as USF because of pressure from the University of Miami and Miami Dade Community College (worried about competition). Otherwise FIU would have been founded sooner.
I assume USF is included in this list because of their med school.
Miami Herald.com
Posted on Sat, Apr. 28, 2007
Fee hikes likely at prestigious big three campuses
BY STEPHANIE GARRY
Students headed to three of Florida's largest, most prestigious universities this fall could face an additional tuition charge of about $180 a year that wouldn't be covered by Bright Futures scholarships under a plan the state Senate approved in a 28-10 vote.
The legislation would mark the first time since the popular program was established that students feel the impact of a tuition increase without the shield of Bright Futures.
The extra tuition would be charged at the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of South Florida. The three universities would be allowed to raise tuition by 10 percent this fall above the Legislature's expected hike of 5 percent.
Universities could continue the tuition increases until they reach 40 percent of the base tuition, but no faster than 15 percent a year.
Sen. Steve Oelrich, a Cross Creek Republican and the bill's sponsor, said he hopes the 2007 Legislature is remembered for ''turning the corner'' on education, by allowing a system in which tuition varies by school and the high-achieving universities are awarded with more money in their quest for national prestige.
''It makes so much sense,'' Oelrich said after the vote. ``It costs you more to send your kids to nursery school than it does to go to a major university in the state of Florida.''
The House, which had a version of the bill that affected only UF, is expected to take up the Senate version and pass it next week.
But even if the plan clears the House, it faces a formidable opponent in Gov. Charlie Crist, who has repeatedly said he opposes tuition hikes -- and Oelrich's bill specifically.
Sen. Lee Constantine, an Altamonte Springs Republican, offered to change the legislation by creating a way for other universities to charge the fee, but his amendment failed.
''I just don't want certain universities to be left out,'' Constantine said, adding that he fears there's no strategy for schools to reach the research-heavy category that would enable them to collect more tuition. ``You're not giving them the ability to improve.''
The vote was a victory especially for UF, which has lobbied hard for it and is seeking to join the ranks of nationally prestigious public universities. UF leaders have said they find Florida's low, one-size-fits-all tuition model to be a barrier when its competitors charge students three times as much.
But the effort has brought up the issue of classifying schools into tiers, which has divided lawmakers. Some see it as marginalizing small, teaching colleges, while others believe it's the way to have a university system that serves diverse needs.
Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican, said there's nothing inherently wrong with higher tuition rates at some schools. He said parents make decisions about the quality of a school and its cost all the time.
''I don't think the world will come to an end if different products bring different prices,'' Gaetz said. ``That's the way things are.''
He was initially skeptical of the bill, he said, because of its effect on Florida Prepaid, a state program that allows parents to make payments on tuition at a locked-in rate.
Prepaid's concerns have been resolved. Those who hold contracts with Prepaid before the bill's passage would be exempted from the increase, so that neither parents nor the Prepaid Program have to pay it. And if the bill passes, Prepaid could start selling special contracts to cover the additional charge.
Last year, the Legislature established tiers that classify universities based on their research and academic quality. The bill that passed Friday uses those classifications to determine who can charge more: top schools, which now includes UF and FSU, could assess an extra charge up to 40 percent of the base tuition. The second level can charge up to 30 percent of tuition. That now includes just USF, but may soon apply to the University of Central Florida and Florida International University.
The state university originally awarded to Miami wound up in Tampa as USF because of pressure from the University of Miami and Miami Dade Community College (worried about competition). Otherwise FIU would have been founded sooner.
I assume USF is included in this list because of their med school.
Miami Herald.com
Posted on Sat, Apr. 28, 2007
Fee hikes likely at prestigious big three campuses
BY STEPHANIE GARRY
Students headed to three of Florida's largest, most prestigious universities this fall could face an additional tuition charge of about $180 a year that wouldn't be covered by Bright Futures scholarships under a plan the state Senate approved in a 28-10 vote.
The legislation would mark the first time since the popular program was established that students feel the impact of a tuition increase without the shield of Bright Futures.
The extra tuition would be charged at the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of South Florida. The three universities would be allowed to raise tuition by 10 percent this fall above the Legislature's expected hike of 5 percent.
Universities could continue the tuition increases until they reach 40 percent of the base tuition, but no faster than 15 percent a year.
Sen. Steve Oelrich, a Cross Creek Republican and the bill's sponsor, said he hopes the 2007 Legislature is remembered for ''turning the corner'' on education, by allowing a system in which tuition varies by school and the high-achieving universities are awarded with more money in their quest for national prestige.
''It makes so much sense,'' Oelrich said after the vote. ``It costs you more to send your kids to nursery school than it does to go to a major university in the state of Florida.''
The House, which had a version of the bill that affected only UF, is expected to take up the Senate version and pass it next week.
But even if the plan clears the House, it faces a formidable opponent in Gov. Charlie Crist, who has repeatedly said he opposes tuition hikes -- and Oelrich's bill specifically.
Sen. Lee Constantine, an Altamonte Springs Republican, offered to change the legislation by creating a way for other universities to charge the fee, but his amendment failed.
''I just don't want certain universities to be left out,'' Constantine said, adding that he fears there's no strategy for schools to reach the research-heavy category that would enable them to collect more tuition. ``You're not giving them the ability to improve.''
The vote was a victory especially for UF, which has lobbied hard for it and is seeking to join the ranks of nationally prestigious public universities. UF leaders have said they find Florida's low, one-size-fits-all tuition model to be a barrier when its competitors charge students three times as much.
But the effort has brought up the issue of classifying schools into tiers, which has divided lawmakers. Some see it as marginalizing small, teaching colleges, while others believe it's the way to have a university system that serves diverse needs.
Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican, said there's nothing inherently wrong with higher tuition rates at some schools. He said parents make decisions about the quality of a school and its cost all the time.
''I don't think the world will come to an end if different products bring different prices,'' Gaetz said. ``That's the way things are.''
He was initially skeptical of the bill, he said, because of its effect on Florida Prepaid, a state program that allows parents to make payments on tuition at a locked-in rate.
Prepaid's concerns have been resolved. Those who hold contracts with Prepaid before the bill's passage would be exempted from the increase, so that neither parents nor the Prepaid Program have to pay it. And if the bill passes, Prepaid could start selling special contracts to cover the additional charge.
Last year, the Legislature established tiers that classify universities based on their research and academic quality. The bill that passed Friday uses those classifications to determine who can charge more: top schools, which now includes UF and FSU, could assess an extra charge up to 40 percent of the base tuition. The second level can charge up to 30 percent of tuition. That now includes just USF, but may soon apply to the University of Central Florida and Florida International University.